The Ministry of Trade (MoT; ) is a

central government A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or deleg ...

ministry of Iraq tasked with regulating and facilitating trade activities. It owns a conglomeration of state-owned enterprises and operates a nearly $6bn annual budget that provides a monthly public food distribution program for Iraqis. This conglomerate also manages the import of grain, seeds, and construction materials. While Iraq is a potentially wealthy country due to huge oil deposits, decades of wars and sanctions have led to the collapse of infrastructure and social services. These occurrences have resulted in many people being left without sufficient food or nutrition. A 2008 survey estimated that 930,000 Iraqis were food insecure, with an additional 6.4 million vulnerable to

food security Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy Human food, food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Simila ...

without the Public Distribution System (PDS).

History

Iraq's food rationing system was established in 1995 as part of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Oil-for-Food Programme The Oil-for-Food Programme (OIP) was established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986) to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary I ...

following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Under the Public Distribution System (PDS) every Iraqi, irrespective of income level, is entitled to a monthly food ration for a nominal fee. Most of the Ministry's 3,000 trucks and 400 warehouses are dedicated to the PDS. However, the program has been plagued by mismanagement and corruption since the 2003 US-led invasion. With annual costs running at more than US$4 billion, the Iraqi government is looking at ways to reform the system to target only the most vulnerable people in need of such assistance. Anti-corruption officials and the Iraqi army went to the ministry's offices in central

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

on April 29, 2009, to detain nine people on corruption charges. Their attempted roundup triggered a 15-minute gunfight between the military and the minister's security team. Only the minister's spokesman, Mohammed Hanoun was detained. Two of Sudani's brothers, one who worked for the ministry and one who headed the Iraqi Grain Board, were arrested the following day. In May 2009, Iraqi Trade Minister Abdel Falah al-Sudani resigned and was later arrested amid allegations of corruption and embezzlement linked to the nation's food assistance program. Sudani, a member of Prime Minister

Nouri al-Maliki Nouri Kamil Muhammad-Hasan al-Maliki (; born 20 June 1950), also known as Jawad al-Maliki (), is an Iraqi politician and leader of the Islamic Dawa Party since 2007. He served as the Prime Minister of Iraq from 2006 to 2014 and as Vice President ...

's Shiite Dawa faction, had been questioned by parliament over claims relating to imports for Iraq's food rationing program. The minister was accused of importing expired commodities—sugar—and procuring illegal contracts as well as failing to fight corruption in his ministry. In December 2009, the United Nations World Food Programme and the Iraqi Ministry of Trade signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' under which the two parties agreed to work together to improve the supply chain management of the Public Distribution System (PDS) which provides a monthly food ration to millions of Iraqis. The agreement was signed in Baghdad by Edward Kallon and the Iraqi Minister of Trade, Dr Safa Al-Deen Alsafi.

Mission statement

The official stated purpose of the Iraqi Ministry of Trade is to facilitate and promote trade and commerce in Iraq. It aims to encourage private sector development by removing regulations blocking trade and investment, eliminating import licensing rules, and embarking on wide-ranging projects to promote a new trading environment in Iraq: an anti-corruption drive, a consumer welfare and protection unit, a “Baghdad International Fair" site and the leasing of Iraqi shopping centers to private developers.

Associated companies

The Iraqi Ministry of Trade has a number of associated State Companies: Iraqi Fairs, Food Stuff Trading, Constructions Stuff Trading, Grains Production, Grains Trading, Central Markets, and Vehicles and Machines Trading. In addition, there are also a number of 'directorates' for Private Sector Development, Planning and Purveying, Administrative and Financial Affairs, Economic and Foreign Affairs, and the Registration of Companies Department.

Establishments

List of countries with an Iraqi Commercial Attache

* Iraqi Commercial Attaché Bulgaria * Iraqi Commercial Attaché China * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Egypt * Iraqi Commercial Attaché France * Iraqi Commercial Attaché India * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Italy * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Japan * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Jordan * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Russia * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Tunis * Iraqi Commercial Attaché Turkey * Iraqi Commercial Attaché UK * Iraqi Commercial Attaché USA

External links

Iraq Ministry of Trade official website

References

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Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

trade Trade involves the transfer of goods and services from one person or entity to another, often in exchange for money. Economists refer to a system or network that allows trade as a market. Traders generally negotiate through a medium of cr ...